K.I.S.S.

I came across this today and thought it was a really great idea. One I had never seen before. I grew up along a river and there was always debris along the shores, stuck in brush piles etc. I always thought that in a survival situation, scavenging would provide a treasure trove of useful items. Like empty plastic bottles etc. that could be used for survival purposes. So I thought I would start this thread for simple, field expedient, improvised items that can be used to survive. No store bought hiker stoves, backpacking tents, space blankets etc. Just everyday things you can pick up and scavenge from nature or from mans refuse.

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." - John F. Kennedy

"You took the good things for granted-now you must earn them again. For every right that you cherish, you have a duty that you must fulfill. For every hope that you entertain, you have a task that you must perform. For every good that you wish to preserve, you will have to sacrifice your comfort and ease. There is nothing for nothing any longer." -George Washington

Question - is there a good safe way of cutting the can with minimal risk of cutting your hand in the process? I'm a bit clumsy sometimes to begin with, so I don't know that I'd want to risk cutting my hand up on a piece of scavenged metal, especially if I were in a survival situation...

Discarded shower curtains (relatively intact) make excellent ground cloths.
Melt snow in a black trash bag by filling the bag with snow and laying the bag in direct sun. (Water for bathing can be warmed up by the same method.)

"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."- Ben Franklin

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - Robert A. Heinlein - "Time Enough For Love"

I have a universal translator. A large bore rifle. It speaks louder than words and will translate you to the afterlife instantly. - Self

I think this would make an efficient stove even without cutting it.Especially if you could scavenge a larger can, coffee can size maybe. Make a small hole in the bottom for airflow. Plastic pop bottles for water storage and carry. The 2 liter ones can be used to make an efficient water filter. I'm thinking more of a plane crash, lost in the wilderness type situation where you would use only what you can find. A knife, even an improvised one would be a first priority. So any ideas?

Great tips Falcon!

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." - John F. Kennedy

"You took the good things for granted-now you must earn them again. For every right that you cherish, you have a duty that you must fulfill. For every hope that you entertain, you have a task that you must perform. For every good that you wish to preserve, you will have to sacrifice your comfort and ease. There is nothing for nothing any longer." -George Washington

I've seen these online before, never tried it. (Although, I do like the idea of saving charcoal, as opposed to lighting the Weber kettle for just a few bratwurst or hot dogs.)

Question - is there a good safe way of cutting the can with minimal risk of cutting your hand in the process? I'm a bit clumsy sometimes to begin with, so I don't know that I'd want to risk cutting my hand up on a piece of scavenged metal, especially if I were in a survival situation...

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PET (type 1) plastic water bottles. It was mentioned they can be used to filter water but they can disinfect it as well rendering the microbiologics inert. Put "filtered" water in bottle and set on a piece of metal roofing or other shiney surface in the direct sun for 6-8 hours min, if cloudy it is 2-3 days. The UV will kill the bacteria and viruses. The WHO calls this SODIS for solar disinfection.

Couple cautions:
- Don't use glass or polycarbonate - they may block UV and render the process unsafe.
- The water must be clear enough that if the bottle is laid on a book or letter you can read the type through the water. If not clear enough, it needs to be "filtered" some more to make it clear enough.
- The SODIS process kills microbes but doesn't remove chemical impurities. I suppose one could make some charcoal with an empty can with metal lid and campfire. Then crush the homemade charcoal, sandwich it and some sand between some cloth and pour water slowly through the sand/charcoal to filter some of the crude then do the SODIS.

Clear plastic bags like ziplock supposedly can be used as well but I don't have confirmation on that.

Silver also kills bacteria, in case you have a coin or two to add to your water.

“Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. He cannot obtain his food without a knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. He cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without a knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think." John Galt (Ayn Rand)

Patents are not evil, profit is not a dirty word, providing for your family's future is not a sin, and what is mine is not your's just because you want it. Kellory.I have received NO secret government orders.(Watch for this notice to be removed)

All great tips guys, thanks. But let's change it up a bit. Here's the scenario. You are alone, in the wilds, yet near civilization. You have to evade contact with civilians (behind enemy lines, civil unrest, whatever scenario you can think of). You have to survive on only what you have in your pockets or can scavenge from river banks, trash cans etc. You can't buy anything, and you don't have a bug out bag with you.

So far we can use a discarded shower curtain or tarp for a ground cloth, a plastic water bottle as a canteen, a 2 liter bottle and a piece of corrugated tin to solar purify the water. A coffee can stove to warm us and cook with.
I would add that you can find a lot of lost fishing line, hooks, sinkers, bobbers Etc. in brush piles along river banks. Enough to rig several limb lines for fishing. Fishing line for snares.

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." - John F. Kennedy

"You took the good things for granted-now you must earn them again. For every right that you cherish, you have a duty that you must fulfill. For every hope that you entertain, you have a task that you must perform. For every good that you wish to preserve, you will have to sacrifice your comfort and ease. There is nothing for nothing any longer." -George Washington

“Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. He cannot obtain his food without a knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. He cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without a knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think." John Galt (Ayn Rand)

Patents are not evil, profit is not a dirty word, providing for your family's future is not a sin, and what is mine is not your's just because you want it. Kellory.I have received NO secret government orders.(Watch for this notice to be removed)

Shoelaces from discarded shoes for line to lash shelter together or make tools like cook tripod.
Recovered wire for the same thing.
Cola/beer cans for small cooking pot.
Turtle shell, gravel, discarded crayons, and an old rag to make a candle/lamp (melt the crayons in one of your beer cans, line the bottom of the turtle shell with gravel, roll the rag into a wick, lay on the gravel, pour the melted wax on top).
Bottle caps, a nail and a rock to make tarp tie down toggles (punch a hole on a bottle cap, thread both shoelace ends through leaving a loop on one side the loose ends on the other, tie the loose ends in a knot. Slip the loop through a tarp eyelet or hole made in shelter, push cap through, cinch tight. Reduces stress on the tarp). Like this:
Discarded bricks and a shopping cart or "recovered" yield sign or stop sign to make a cook area (flip cart on side, support with bricks, build fire beneath or set signage on bricks build fire underneath).

"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."- Ben Franklin

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - Robert A. Heinlein - "Time Enough For Love"

I have a universal translator. A large bore rifle. It speaks louder than words and will translate you to the afterlife instantly. - Self

Shoelaces from discarded shoes for line to lash shelter together or make tools like cook tripod.
Recovered wire for the same thing.
Cola/beer cans for small cooking pot.Turtle shell, gravel, discarded crayons, and an old rag to make a candle/lamp (melt the crayons in one of your beer cans, line the bottom of the turtle shell with gravel, roll the rag into a wick, lay on the gravel, pour the melted wax on top).
Bottle caps, a nail and a rock to make tarp tie down toggles (punch a hole on a bottle cap, thread both shoelace ends through leaving a loop on one side the loose ends on the other, tie the loose ends in a knot. Slip the loop through a tarp eyelet or hole made in shelter, push cap through, cinch tight. Reduces stress on the tarp). Like this:
Discarded bricks and a shopping cart or "recovered" yield sign or stop sign to make a cook area (flip cart on side, support with bricks, build fire beneath or set signage on bricks build fire underneath).

Click to expand...

Love this one. Fantastic idea. All are good.

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." - John F. Kennedy

"You took the good things for granted-now you must earn them again. For every right that you cherish, you have a duty that you must fulfill. For every hope that you entertain, you have a task that you must perform. For every good that you wish to preserve, you will have to sacrifice your comfort and ease. There is nothing for nothing any longer." -George Washington

You have to survive on only what you have in your pockets or can scavenge from river banks, trash cans etc. You can't buy anything, and you don't have a bug out bag with you.

I would add that you can find a lot of lost fishing line, hooks, sinkers, bobbers Etc. in brush piles along river banks. Enough to rig several limb lines for fishing. Fishing line for snares.

Click to expand...

Maybe we need to first brainstorm a list of the stuff likely to be found along a river, the roadside, an alley filled with junk, etc. I don't know what I would make until I have construction materials in mind OR it might help to have a need in mind and then explore what kind of junk might help me construct it.

So, taking the first line of thinking, here are some things I think may be encountered (i.e.stuff I've actually seen) in the scavenging areas out of public view. What might be added to this list? And then what would people do with these things?
Plastic bottles
Pop and beer cans
Styrofoam cups and boxes
Old ice chest/cooler with a broken or no lid
Old 15 inch snow tires
Old tires on 14" steel rims
Old early 1990s Kenmore washing machine
Old late 1980s Maytag refrigerator
Old 1970s RCA 27" console color TV set
Junked 1992 Ford Escort minus wheels, doors, radio
Old 1970s Lawnboy M21 push mower w/ seized engine
Trash bags with old wet leaves
Lots of plastic rings that hold 6 packs together
Old 40 gallon gas water heater with bad burner
Old style (no overfill protection device) 20 lb propane tank
55 gal drum (formerly held hydraulic oil)

“Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. He cannot obtain his food without a knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. He cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without a knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think." John Galt (Ayn Rand)

Patents are not evil, profit is not a dirty word, providing for your family's future is not a sin, and what is mine is not your's just because you want it. Kellory.I have received NO secret government orders.(Watch for this notice to be removed)

Roaming the river banks when I was a kid you could find all kinds of stuff. Especially after the spring floods.
I've found;
fishing line,hooks,bobbers and even poles
large tarps
cans,bottles
a couch
a refridgerator
We once found a commercial beer cooler still filled with beer that had been washed out of a beer joint caught in a flood
tires
an old boat
wooden pallets

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." - John F. Kennedy

"You took the good things for granted-now you must earn them again. For every right that you cherish, you have a duty that you must fulfill. For every hope that you entertain, you have a task that you must perform. For every good that you wish to preserve, you will have to sacrifice your comfort and ease. There is nothing for nothing any longer." -George Washington

Yes, then. Now metal costs are much higher, houses are broken into, pipes and air conditioners are ripped out by force, aluminum siding is stripped off houses in broad daylight. Different times.

“Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. He cannot obtain his food without a knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. He cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without a knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think." John Galt (Ayn Rand)

Patents are not evil, profit is not a dirty word, providing for your family's future is not a sin, and what is mine is not your's just because you want it. Kellory.I have received NO secret government orders.(Watch for this notice to be removed)

“Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. He cannot obtain his food without a knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. He cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without a knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think." John Galt (Ayn Rand)

Patents are not evil, profit is not a dirty word, providing for your family's future is not a sin, and what is mine is not your's just because you want it. Kellory.I have received NO secret government orders.(Watch for this notice to be removed)

Assuming you are the first scrapper, and have access to some limited tools, that lawn tractor listed, would yield a few knife blades or cleaver blades from the cutting blade. Some wires for and a battery for sparking a fire, and the engine cowling would make a crude rocket stove, by flattening it, then rolling it in a tube. Wrapped with wire, it would hold. Front bicycle wheel would make a grill top. Peal the rubber off the rims, and cover it with a scrap of plywood, would get you up off the cold ground as a simple bed. If you can stand the smell, a trash dumpster (especially the plastic round ones) would be a snug dry storm shelter . In fact, there was a problem in some places of the homeless stealing them for that very reason. (After several studies, and lots of math, they found the cheapest solution for housing the homeless and get their dumpsters back, was to make more dumpsters)

“Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. He cannot obtain his food without a knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. He cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without a knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think." John Galt (Ayn Rand)

Patents are not evil, profit is not a dirty word, providing for your family's future is not a sin, and what is mine is not your's just because you want it. Kellory.I have received NO secret government orders.(Watch for this notice to be removed)